Since President Barack Obama took office, the federal civilian workforce has grown by approximately 188,000 new employees, excluding temporary census workers. Meanwhile, the private sector has lost millions of jobs and unemployment nears 10 percent.

Recently a bill, supported by Rep. Cynthia Lumm (R-Wyoming), was brought up for a vote. Passage of that one bill would save the taxpayers $35 billion over the next 10 years by reining in the growth of the federal workforce. Rep. Mike Michaud voted “no.” Does Michaud honestly believe that hundreds of new bureaucratic agencies are the answer for the nation’s economy?

Federal spending should be cut immediately and the uncertainty that is continuing to paralyze our nation must end. Small businesses are the engine of the nation’s economy, not the government.

It is indeed time for change and I plan to vote for Jason Levesque. He “gets it.”

Kay Pinkham, Auburn